Manage billing activity on the Accounts Receivable screen of a policy.

Core Concepts

Divided by Terms

Billing is divided by policy term.

Billing Across Terms

Debit

If a prior term has an outstanding debit, the next payment received will be applied to that debit first.

Credit

If a prior term has an outstanding credit, that credit will be transferred to the next term when the new term's effective date comes to pass. The credit is transferred on the effective date to cover any late term endorsements on the prior term.

Billing When Committed

Billing activity occurs once a policy's revision is committed.

When a policy is committed, or issued, for the first time,

Invoices will appear on the Accounts Receivable screen according to the chosen billing schedule

Any prepayments will be considered when generating the invoices

Invoice deliverables will generate in the Attachments tab and print according to your site configuration

When a premium-bearing revision is committed on an in-force policy,

Invoices will update according to the change in premium

Invoice deliverables will regenerate in the Attachments tab and print according to your system settings

All Billing Generated Now

BriteCore generates all invoices for the term once a revision is committed.

Policies Issued Late

A late policy is one that is issued later than it was supposed to be issued. For example, you are to provide 30 days between the date you mail the invoice and the date it is due. If you provide 25 days, then the policy is considered late.

Renewal business should never be issued late as it automatically renews on time year after year. New business, however, is often issued late.

Given the difference between renewal and new business, BriteCore processes the first invoice of a renewal differently than a new business policy. A new business policy will provide the requisite number of mailing days regardless of when the policy's revision is committed.

Example

You provide 30 day's mailing with the bill due on the effective date

If you issue a renewal policy on day 25, the bill will still be due on the effective date

If you issue a new business policy on day 25, BriteCore will compensate for the 5 days by setting the invoice's due date to 5 days after the effective date

Premium Overview Section

Total Written Premium

The written premium as of today, including any endorsements.

Premium Billed to Date

The amount of written premium billed as of today.

Custom Fees Billed to Date

Fees set up in the Lines module (e.g., policy fee) billed as of today.

System Fees Billed to Date

Total Paid to Date

Payoff Amount

The remaining premium and billed fees left to pay off the policy. This excludes unbilled fees.

Ledger

Billing information is setup as a ledger, starting at the bottom of the table:

The Amount column displays the debit or credit for a particular transaction

The Trailing Balance column is the running total of debits and credits

Dates Matter

Billing considers three distinct dates.

Bill Date

The date the invoice is issued. With the exception of weekends and holidays, the bill date matches the date the invoice was printed and mailed.

Due Date

The date a debit is due. On this date, a policy will enter non-pay if unpaid. Depending upon your site configuration, this date may appear differently on invoices (grace period), or the non-pay may process at the end of the day rather than the beginning.

Billing Schedule Changes

Staff may change a policy's billing schedule at any time during the term. When changed, two options are presented.

Preserve Invoices that Have Already Been Sent (Point Forward)

This changes the billing schedule point forward. One case for this option is when the insured pays the first installment and requests future installments be billed to the mortgagee. A second case is when the agency pays the first installment via agency sweep but future installments are billed to the insured.

Dates matter! Any invoices where the cancel date has yet to pass will not be preserved.

Regenerate Invoices that Have Already Been Sent (Restart)

This restarts the entire policy term on the new billing schedule. The primary case for this option is when the insured requests a new schedule for the term or when the incorrect billing schedule was selected during billing setup.

BriteCore Setup

Settings

Database

Display Revision History for Agents

A new setting allows agents to view the revision history on a policy. When this setting is enabled, a Show Revision History link is visible and clickable.

This link allows agents to access a summary of changes on the policy. Example:

When this setting is disabled, the Show Revision History link does not appear.

There are two ways to enable this setting:

Contact IWS via a ticket and specify that you want to enable the display_revision_history_ar_agent setting

Navigate to Modules > Policies > Accounts Receivable and check the box next to Display the revision history on the Accounts Receivable page for Agents

IWS Only

Navigate to Settings > Advanced

Search for display_revision_history_ar_agent

Select True or False

Disable Cancel Fees if Mortgagee

When enabled, policies where the Bill Whom is a mortgagee will not assess a non-pay fee against any invoice if the policy enters non-pay. When used, the Bill Whom of a policy must be a contact with the role of Mortgagee. This setting is needed only when a non-pay fee above $0 is set in Settings > Modules > Policies > Policy Lifecycle > Non-Pay > Fees. To enable, run

#UPDATE settings SET value=1 WHERE option='disable_cancel_fees_if_mortgagee'

Store Pay Method Across Terms

By default, a policy’s payment method and billing schedule does not carry forward from one policy term to the next when the payment method and/or billing schedule is changed on a previous policy term.

A new setting changes BriteCore’s default behavior such that any late term changes on a previous policy term to a policy’s payment method and/or billing schedule automatically carry forward to the next policy term.

To enable this setting:

Contact IWS via a ticket

Specify that you want to enable the store_pay_method_across_terms setting

IWS Only

Navigate to Settings > Advanced

Search for store_pay_method_across_terms

Select True or False

Allow Due Date Grace

BriteCore processes non-pays at 12:01 a.m. on the Due Date of the invoice. This setting delays the non-pay processing by one day. For those with database access, run

#UPDATE settings SET value=1 WHERE option='allow-due-date-grace'

Example with Setting Set to 0The invoice is due on 7/1; the policy enters Cancellation Pending for Non-Payment of Premium at 12:01 a.m. on 7/1.

Example with Setting Set to 1The invoice is due on 7/1; the policy enters Cancellation Pending for Non-Payment of Premium at 12:01 a.m. on 7/2.

Reverse Bill Date Calculation

When enabled, ensures the billing dates fall on the same calendar date when possible. To enable, run

#UPDATE settings SET value=1 WHERE option='reverse-bill-date-calculation'

Example with Setting Set to 0BriteCore uses this math: effective date + months from effective date + the number of billing days (assume a bill is issued at -31 days as an example):

Example with setting set to 1BriteCore switches the last two parts of the equation: effective date - the number of billing days + months from effective date. In this way, the billing days are considered prior to adding the months from effective date:

The reverse-bill-date-calculation setting should never be enabled for an already-live client

Months from effective date does not consider days within the month. Using this logic, 3 months from 1/2 is 4/2, regardless of how many days are in January, February, and March

Show Previous Credits and Debits in Account History

The show_previous_credits_and_debits setting allows staff (Administrative Portal) and agents (Agent Portal) to view a previous term's credit or debit in the Account History table of a policy’s Accounts Receivable screen. This setting is enabled by default. To disable the setting, contact IWS.

IWS Only

Navigate to Settings > Advanced

Search show_previous_credits_and_debits

Select True or False

Settings > Modules > Policies > Fees

NSF Fee

Define the fee that is assessed when a payment is NSFed.

Endorsement Invoice Fee

When an increase premium endorsement revision is committed (issued), BriteCore will generate an Amended Billing Statement if no future installments exist or if more premium must be billed to avoid going upside-down on the policy. A fee can be attached to the invoice independent from the standard installment invoice fee.

Equity Invoice Fee

Retired.

Settings > Modules > Policies > Accounts Receivable

Print Combined Billing Coversheet

If an insured has multiple policies, those policies can be linked. When policies are linked, a coversheet will print providing an overview of the amount due across all policies. See an example of the Combined Billing Statement and the Issue A Combined Bill how-to below.

Display Link to Old Account History

Applies only to clients live on the system prior to 7/1/12.

Display the revision history on the Accounts Receivable page

When enabled, creates a link on each policy's Accounts Receivable screen that, when clicked, generates an endorsement history and change of premium.

Settings > Modules > Policies > Policy Lifecycle > Billing > Options

Do Not Issue a Bill If the Amount Due Is Less Than

If an invoice is under the amount identified, it will not print. Its print state will be set to Do Not Print.

Always Bill Auto Pay

Contact BriteCore customer service to request this change.

This setting overrides the above setting for auto-pays only. When enabled, the system will pull funds from an account regardless of the amount due.

To update, identify the applicable policy lifecycle ID (or update all lifecycles), and then run

Discontinue Printing During Cancellation Pending

When a policy enters cancellation pending for either non-payment of premium or other reasons, future documents will neither print (insured copy), email (agent copy), nor notify a vendor (e.g., mortgagee copy via InsVista). If the policy is taken out of cancellation payment, any future documents will be set to print.

As the timeline below illustrates, any deliverables set to Do not print between the date the policy enters and exits cancellation pending will not be set to print once the policy exists cancellation pending. Any deliverables within this period must be manually printed and mailed or emailed:

Navigate to the Attachments tab of the policy

Click on the appropriate folder, most likely the Installment Billing Statement folder

Click on the appropriately dated folder

Click on the deliverable name to access it

Print the deliverable and mail to the insured

Email a copy to the agent

In the unlikely event that the deliverable should go to the mortgagee, mail a copy to the mortgagee

Some clients print the first invoice of a new business or renewal policy even if nothing is due. This setting overrides the Do Not Issue a Bill If the Amount Due is Less Than setting so that the first invoice of the term always prints.

Send an Amended Invoice Even When the Endorsement Amount Is Negative

When premium is reduced on a policy, BriteCore will not send an amended invoice showing by what amount the premium was lowered. This setting, though, will result in the creation of a negative invoice.

Though the setting is on the interface, it was created for a specific client workflow and is not recommended for use by the broader client community.

Waive Installment Fees for Pre-Paid Invoices

When a policy is on a billing schedule and either the payor pays the policy in full or a return premium transfer pays the policy in full, the system will waive all future installment fees. When using this setting, reference the Payoff Amount on the Accounts Receivable screen of the policy.

In the example below, the payor paid the policy in full after the second installment invoice was billed. The two future invoices should have been $80 each but the $5 installment fee was waived due to the payment in full on 6/15/16.

Charge $0.00 on Non-pays and Continuation for Renewal Invoices

If you have defined a non-pay or continuation fee, you can waive the fees on Renewal Invoices.

Display Due Date on Invoices as Day

Many carriers implement a grace period between the date an invoice is due and the date the policy enters cancellation pending for non-payment of premium. This setting creates that grace period by showing a due date on the invoice deliverable that is mailed to the insured different from the due date on the Accounts Receivable screen of the policy. In this way, the insured sees the invoice is due on day X but the system will not process the non-pay until day Y. Most clients choose to set the grace period to -3 in order to offer a 3 day grace period.

This setting changes the invoice deliverable only. Staff and agents viewing a policy's Accounts Receivable tab in BriteCore will see the date the system will process the non-pay.

When performing a premium increase endorsement

This setting controls how accounting behaves when a premium-bearing endorsement is performed.

If Create an endorsement invoice is selected, BriteCore will create an endorsement invoice even if future invoices exist.

If Spread the premium evenly among future installments, if any is selected, BriteCore will always spread the endorsement premium evenly among future installments. If no future installments exist, an endorsement invoice will be created.

General Setup

Move a billing schedule by clicking and holding the purple arrows. While holding down on your cursor, drag the schedule up or down

The order the schedules appear in this location is the order they will appear to the user when selecting a billing schedule. From among the list, a default billing schedule may be selected by clicking the radio button next to the desired schedule.

Name of Billing Schedule

Name the billing schedule whatever you would like. The name stored here is the name that will appear to all users, including staff, agents, and insureds.

If you use InsVista for mortgagee notification, the escrow billing schedule must be named exactly Escrow Billing.

Policy Term Length

Limit the availability of the schedule by policy term length. Most clients offer 1-year terms only so the default is 1 Year.

Remind BriteQuote Users to Complete the Automated Payments Enrollment Form

This is used only for auto-pay billing schedules. When checked, a popup will generate on the Billing tab while quoting. It serves as a reminder that the agent must have the proposed insured complete the Direct Debit Letter.

Limit Availability to > Bill to Whom

Limits the billing schedule to specific roles. For example, Escrow Billing is available only to mortgagees.

Limit Availability to > Minimum Pro-Rata Premium

Restricts the availability of a billing schedule to the amount of premium on the policy. For example, you may not want to offer a monthly billing schedule on policies with less than $100 of written premium.

If a policy drops below the specified premium as a result of an endorsement, the billing schedule will be dropped from the policy. A billing schedule will need to be reselected by a staff member when processing the policy. For example, you have a $100 minimum policy premium in order for a policy to have the quarterly billing schedule. If a policy has a $110 premium but then is endorsed to $95, the quarterly billing schedule will no longer appear on the Accounts Receivable screen of the policy. Consider this point when setting a minimum premium.

Limit Availability to > Display Options

You can limit where a billing schedule appears throughout the system, which also means it cannot be selected as an option:

Billing schedules cannot be explicitly hidden from staff within the administrative portal of BriteCore

Show in Public Gateway, when unchecked, removes the schedule from the Secure Checkout page where outside payors make electronic payments against policies

Unselecting this option effectively disallows a payor from selecting the schedule when making an electronic payment

Selecting this option in conjuction with the Prevent agents and external users from making Billing Schedule changes Mid-Term setting means that outside payors can select the billing schedule but only at renewal

Show in Payment Sweep, when unchecked, removes the schedule from the Payments module in the agent portal where agents make sweep payments. Unselecting this option effectively disallows the agent from selecting the schedule when making sweep payments

Show on Invoices, when unchecked, removes the schedule from all invoices. Unselecting this option effectively makes the insured unaware the schedule exists as an option

Installments

Define when the installment invoices are issued, what factor each installment accounts for, and any fees associated with each installment:

Send Installment Invoice indicates how many months after the effective date the installment invoice should be billed. For example, quarterly billing schedules typically have installments issued 3, 6, and 9 months after the effective date

Factor of Total Premium Due allows premium to be flexibly divided among installments as long as the sum equals one. For example, a quarterly billing schedule could have premium divided equally at 25% per installment or front-loaded at 40% for the first installment and 20% for the remaining three installments

Installment Fee allows fees to be assessed on a per installment basis

Consider assessing a $0 fee on the first installment for simplified processing of unpaid renewal invoices.

Timeline

Using the policy effective date as the reference point, controls when invoices are generated and due. By default, the initial (new business) and renewal timelines control when the Declaration prints as well. This is the case because the Declaration and invoice print together for new and renewal business.

Send Invoice on Day indicates how many days prior to the effective date the invoice should generate. With the exception of weekends and identified holidays, the date the invoice generates will be the same date it prints. In order to accommodate weekends and holidays, 2-3 days should be added to the timeline. For example, your state requires the renewal invoice be mailed 30 days prior to the effective date. The setting in BriteCore should be -33 to provide an extra 3 mailing days.

Migration

Allows a billing schedule to be replaced with another billing schedule at renewal. The primary case for this feature is to migrate away from a specific billing schedule.

Settings > Modules > Policies > Policy Lifecycle > Payment > Renewals

For New Business and Renewals, Automatically Match the Billing Schedule to the Amount of the Payment

Billing schedules will automatically update if the payment amount for an initial or renewal invoice is within the threshold(s) defined in this setting.

Example

You have annual and semi-annual billing schedules

You use the above setting and set a $5 threshold

A policy has the annual billing schedule with $1000 of written premium

If the insured makes an initial payment ≥ $495 or ≤ $505, the billing schedule of this policy will automatically update to semi-annual

Important notes

The payment amount is calculated against the invoice (premium + installment fee) only. Other fees, such as non-payment fees, NSF, and reinstatement, are not used to determine eligibility for updating the billing schedule

If the payment matches the current billing schedule's threshold amounts, the system will not change the schedule

Settings > Modules > Policies > Policy Lifecycle > Non-Pay > Renewals

For Renewals, Send the "Reminder Notice - Renewal Billing Offer" in Place of the "Notice of Cancellation, Non-Payment of Premium"

The standard workflow is for BriteCore to issue the Notice of Cancellation, Non-Payment of Premium on every invoice that is unpaid. This setting replaces that notice with a separate Reminder Notice - Renewal Billing Offer. With this workflow, the renewal is essentially non-renewed rather than canceled.

For Renewals, the Length (in Days) of the Cancellation Pending Notice

Allows for a non-pay timeline specific to renewal invoices.

For New Business and Renewals, Cancel the Policy Flat Against the Initial/Renewal Billing Statement Regardless of the Invoice Due Date (i.e., Even If the Policy Is Issued Late)

This cancels a new business and renewal policy flat when the first invoice is unpaid.

Settings > Modules > Policies > Policy Lifecycle > Non-Pay > Length

Length (in Days) of Non-Pay Cancellation Pending

The non-pay timeline is applied to all unpaid invoices, unless the above For renewals, the Length (In Days) of the Cancellation Pending Notice setting is used for renewal invoices.

An additional amount charged when a policy enters non-payment of premium on any invoice. This fee essentially serves as a way to pre-emptively bill a reinstatement fee. Though assessed at the same time as the above Non-Pay fee, this fee differs in the following ways:

Print Confirmation of Cancellation at Policy End Date

This setting will print a Confirmation of Cancellation when a policy cancels.

On Renewals, Suppress the Confirmation of Cancellation

If the above Print Confirmation of Cancellation at Policy End Date setting is checked, this setting will override it for renewals. This setting is specific to the Reminder Notice - Renewal Billing Offer workflow.

Print Cancellation Invoice at Policy End Date

This feature was designed for a specific client. Rather than use this setting, it is recommended to add an Earned Premium Statement to the bottom of the Confirmation of Cancellation.

Minimum Earned Premium

Upon cancellation, the system will retain no less than the amount identified in this setting.

At cancellation, the minimum earned premium will not be subtracted from written or earned premium reports unless the policy cancels flat. If the insured has not yet paid the entire minimum earned premium when the policy cancels, the remaining premium may be written-off or rebilled.

Enable Continuation of Coverage Notification

The notification is generated when a payment satisfies a cancellation for non-payment of premium or underwriting.

Settings > System Wide > Administrative Alerts > Policies

Non-pay Has Been Updated on an Account History

The below email is sent when a user in the Administrative Portal deletes a non-pay from a policy's Accounts Receivable screen:

Non Pay Row Deleted
The DD/MM/YYYY Non Pay was deleted from the DD/MM/YYYY - DD/MM/YYYY term of policy 10-2016-1.

Examples

Below are examples of implementing the above settings.

Example 1

This is the standard setup where the policy cancels on the effective date if unpaid. In this way, earned but unpaid premium is avoided on renewals. Since new business is often issued late, earned but unpaid premium at cancellation will occur.

Example 2

This is the standard setup for carriers who are unable, due to state regulations, to cancel on the effective date. For both renewals and new business, earned but unpaid premium will occur.

Example 3

This is the standard setup for carriers who cannot explicitly cancel on the effective date but would like the system to process as if it did. If a claim occurs during the Cancellation Pending period, the insured has coverage even though the system shows the policy canceled flat.

Example 4

This is the standard setup for carriers who would like to avoid the word Cancellation during the renewal process.

BriteCore Processing

Invoice Printing

Click on the image below to open in a new window. Access the raw file here.

Billing Workflow

The top workflow details billing for an uncommitted (unissued) policy whereas the bottom workflow details billing for a committed (issued) policy. Click on the image below to open in a new window. Access the raw file here.

Account History Transactions

The below table summarizes the transactions that appear on the Account History table of an individual policy.

Transaction Type

Description

Trigger

Adjustment

Credit transfer adjustment

A credit is moved from one term to another

Adjustment

Endorsement adjustment

A revision is committed on an already committed policy where the premium is decreased and no future invoices exist

Adjustment

Unearned premium/fees; Adjusted to MM/DD/YYYY

A policy is canceled mid-term

Exported Return Premium

The MM/DD/YYYY Return Premium for $1.00 was exported on MM/DD/YYYY

A database only row that is written when a return premium is exported from the Return Premium queue

Fee

Continuation fee applied

A continuation fee is assessed

Invoice

Initial invoice/Renewal invoice/Installment invoice

A policy is committed for the first time

Invoice

Endorsement invoice

A revision is committed on an already-committed policy where the premium is increased

Non-Pay

Policy will cancel on MM/DD/YYYY

A debit is unpaid by the due date of the invoice, subject to the non-pay threshold and due date grace period settings

NSF

Applies to MM/DD/YYYY payment

An Administrative Portal user clicks the NSF button on a payment

Payment

Paid through MM/DD/YYYY (Policy moved out of cancellation pending due to this payment)

A payment is applied to a policy

Reinstatement

Policy set to Active: Reason entered by user

An Administrative Portal user clicks the Reinstate button on a canceled policy

Return Premium

Reason entered by user

When a return premium is generated by an Administrative Portal user; when a credit exists on a policy or by the system; when a policy cancels with a credit

Return Premium Transfer

Premium Transferred from Policy #10-2018-1

An Administrative Portal user transfers a return premium from the Return Premium queue to the same or different policy; a canceled policy that issued a return premium is reinstated before the return premium was exported from BriteCore

Revision

Policy Status: Active > Written Premium: $1000.00

A database only row that is written when a revision is committed

Waive

Waived system fee from MM/DD/YYYY invoice

An Administrative Portal user clicks the Waive System Fees button on a debit with a system fee, such as an installment fee on an invoice, an NSF fee on an NSF, a reinstatement fee on a reinstatement, or a continuation fee on a continuation

Waive

Waive MM/DD/YYYY non-pay fee due to cancel flat

A policy is canceled flat

Waive

Premium write off

An Administrative Portal user clicks the Write-Off Premium button when premium is due but will not be collected

Waive

Custom fee write off

An Administrative Portal user clicks the Write-Off Custom Fee button when a custom fee is due but will not be collected

Batch Payments

The value of the Amt. Paid column should equal the value of the Amt. Owed column for each entry.

Users cannot enter a batch payment entry if nothing is owed. If a user attempts to add an entry with no Amt. Owed, a message will notify the user and the entry will be removed.

Create New Batch

Navigate to to Policy > Payments > Daily Cash Receipt

Click Start New Batch Payment

Complete Batch Payment Setup

Press Start New Batch

By default, batch entries are added by policy number. To add entries by invoice number, check Use invoice number to enter payments in the Batch Payment Setup.

Update an Existing Batch

Navigate to Policy > Payments > Daily Cash Receipt

Click on a batch to open it

Click Edit Batch Settings

Make updates or edits

Click Save Batch Setup

Remove an Existing Batch

Navigate to Policy > Payments > Daily Cash Receipt

Click on a batch to open it

Click Edit Batch Settings

Click Delete Batch

Navigate to a Different Batch

Click Go back to Batch Payment list

Select a different batch

Add Entries to Batch by Policy Number

Batch payments are configured to use policy number as the primary field by default. To add an entry to batch by policy number, input the policy number into the Policy # column.

Users can add multiple entries to a batch payment by copying and pasting several policy numbers into the Policy # column. When copying the policy numbers, ensure that each policy number is on its own line in the document. When pasted, these policy numbers will each appear on their own row in the batch payment.

Add Entries to Batch by Invoice Code

Batch payments can be configured to use the invoice code as the primary field. If invoice codes are the primary field, batch payments entries can be added using invoice codes. Like policy numbers, invoice codes can also be copy and pasted into the Invoice Code column.

The Payment Type defaults to Check. A different payment type can be inputted by selecting a different payment type from the drop-down list in the Payment Type column.

Update Entries on Batch

Updating the values in the primary field column will update secondary fields. Updates to the primary field column can also be copy and pasted, and the secondary fields will be updated.

Remove Entries from Batch

To remove an entry, clear the primary field column. To remove multiple entries, select multiple rows in the primary field column and clear all entries.

Combine Adjacent Entries into one Multi-Policy Entry

Within a batch, select two or more adjacent rows

Click Combine

Select Common Payor for a Combined Multi-Policy Entry

If combined entries have one or more common contacts, the dropdown in the Payors column will present only contacts that the entries have in common.

Separate Multi-Policy Entry into Different Entries

To separate combined entries,

Select the combined entry

Click Separate

Import Payments or Save Progress for Later

To save an incomplete batch, click Save Progress for Later.

Once all payment entries have been added, click Import Payments to process payments.

Identify the Payoff Amount

With unbilled installment fees, reference the Trailing Balance of the final transaction of the Account History table

Identify Remaining Installments

Reference the Date and Type columns of the Account History table on all invoices with dates after today.

Identify the Due Date of an Invoice

Click the gray arrow next to the applicable invoice to view the due and cancel date.

Keep a Policy from Entering Non-Pay or Canceling

Within the Currently Due box, click the phrase Due Date or Cancel Date

In the popup box, move one or both dates

Generate an Amended Invoice

In the Account History table, locate the invoice in question

Click the gray arrow

Click Edit and Reprint

Amend the dates, if needed

Leave the Print Automatically checkbox checked

Click OK

Access the amended document via the magnifying glass or the Attachments tab

Waive an Installment Fee

In the Account History table, locate the invoice in question

Click the gray arrow

Click Waive System Fees

Waive a Custom Fee

Custom fees appear in with the policy coverages. To change custom fees, endorse the policy.

Write-Off Premium

If all debits have been billed and you expect the remaining premium will not be collected, click the Write-Off Premium button.

Write-Off a Custom Fee

If a custom fee is fully earned and has been billed but you do not expect it to be collected, click the Write-Off Custom Fee button.

Issue a Combined Bill

Setup

Navigate to Settings > Modules > Policies > Accounts Receivable

Check the Print Combined Billing Coversheet box
This deliverable is not currently customizable

Create the policies

Assign the same Effective Date, Billing Schedule, and Bill Whom to each policy

Link the policies together using the link icon

Navigate to each individual policy

Commit (issue) all new business the policies on the same day. This ensures the print date is the same for each policy, which is the date the system uses to batch the policies. Renewal business does not need to be committed (issued) on the same date

Printing

The Combined Billing Statement will generate and print during nightly processing along with the invoice for each policy

The Combined Billing Statement will appear on each policy's Attachments tab. The policy associated with the Group Billing Number (GBN) will have the deliverable that prints; all other statements will be set to Do not print

Syncing Unmatched Policies

When the print dates of invoices do not match, a Combined Billing Statement will not generate for any out of sync policy. To resync a policy, cancel and rewrite the policy to match the policy effective date or billing schedule to the other grouped policies.

Endorsements

If an amended invoice is unpaid by the next bill date, BriteCore will include the endorsement amount on the next Combined Billing Statement and individual policy invoice.

Flag a Policy with a Poor Payment History

Flagging a policy for poor payment history is done via system tags, which have a default Poor Payment History tag. To flag a policy,

Navigate to the policy

In the System Tags section, click Edit

Check Poor Payment History

Click Done

Important notes

Once flagged, Flagged for Poor Payment History appears on the Accounts Receivable screen of the policy

When flagged, agents and outside payors will be unable to change the policy's billing schedule when making a payment. Flagging a policy for poor payment history overrides all other settings related to a person's ability to change the billing schedule on the secure payment screen. Staff will be able to change the billing schedule on the policy's Accounts Receivable screen

Determine If Billing Is Incorrect

Premium Billed > Total Written Premium

Issue

The Premium Billed to Date should never be more than the Total Written Premium.

Typical Cause

The Account History of a policy is a ledger and should balance according to debits and credits. This means there are transactions that balance each other. When a policy cancels, an Adjustment row is written that removes unearned premium. When a policy is reinstated, a Reinstatement row is written that re-adds the unearned premium. In this way, the two balance each other. If either row is missing or is out of balance, the policy can end up with more billed than written premium.

Solution

Submit an OOPS! ticket to IWS.

Duplicate or Missing Invoices

Issue

The Account History table should never have more than one non-amended (endorsement) invoice per date. Also, neither the Initial Invoice (new business) nor the Renewal Invoice(renewals) should be missing from the screen.

Typical Cause

A change to settings or bad data from an endorsement.

Solution

Submit an OOPS! ticket to IWS.

Use Agency Billing

Agency billing is used when the agency sends an invoice to the party responsible for paying the invoice. When an account in BriteCore is agency billed, the invoices will still generate and be stored in Attachments but will be set to Do Not Print. As a result, the agency should bill the insured upon receiving the Declaration. Engineers may reference PR 4583.

Enable the Setting

Submit a support ticket to IWS with the name of the agency(ies).

IWS OnlyUpdate the name of the agency, and then run

#UPDATE contacts SET doNotPrintWhenBillWhom=1 WHERE name='name of agency'

Verify the Setting

Navigate to the Contacts module

Access the agency

Scroll to the Notices section

Verify the Do not print invoices when this agency is the bill whom setting is checked

Update the Policy

Access the policy in question

Navigate to the Accounts Receivable screen

Set the Bill Whom to the agency. Invoices will generate but will be set to Do Not Print

Title the new schedule Test 'name of billing schedule you want to copy'. For example, Test Annual or Test Monthly

Click Save and Exit

Update the name

Run the below query. Since we are using REGEXP on the billing schedule name, the query should return the schedule you want to copy along with the newly created schedule

SELECT * FROM billing_schedules WHERE name REGEXP 'monthly' GROUP BY name ORDER BY name

In the database, update the new schedule's settings using the already-existing billing schedule as reference. Be sure to remove Test from the name once all other settings have been updated

Open two browser windows (W1 and W2)

In W1, display the schedule to be copied

In W2, display the new schedule

Ensure all additional settings match

Click Save and Exit on the new schedule

Update a Billing Schedule's Timeline Post-Live

Changing a billing schedule's timeline post-live should be avoided when possible.

If changing a billing schedule's timeline becomes necessary, complete the following steps:

Submit a support ticket to IWS

Identify how many policies have the billing schedule

Access the client's database

Navigate to billing_schedules

Copy the exact billing_schedules.name

In the below query, update the name in the first line, highlight the entire query, and then run it. The below query will return the most recent revision of the most recent policy term and exclude canceled and expired policies

FAQs

The Accounts Receivable screen is blank. Why?The policy has either not been issued or has been canceled flat.

An invoice exists on the Accounts Receivable screen, why does the Currently Due show $0.00?The Currently Due shows debits that have been billed but not paid. If all debits have been paid or remaining invoices are in the future, then $0 is due now.

On which invoices does the Change of Address form appear?The Change of Address form appears on installment and endorsement invoices.

Exercises

Exercise 1

Reference the Accounts Receivable screen just below.

Questions

How much is currently due on this account?

If unpaid, what is the non-pay date for this account?

What is the written premium for the term?

How much of the written premium has been billed?

How much in fees have been billed?

How many non-pays are on this term?

How many claims does this account have?

What is the current billing schedule?

Is this account on auto-pay? How do you know?

When will the final installment invoice be billed?

How can you view an invoice from this screen?

The insured called requesting the payoff amount of the account. What do you tell the insured?

Answers

$262.50

8/8/16

$1,020

$255

$7.50

0

0

Quarterly

No, the Payment Method shows Manual rather than Auto Pay

3/2/17

Click the magnifying glass in the respective invoice row

If you want to waive future installment fees, $1027.50; if not, $1,050

Exercise 2

Reference the Accounts Receivable screen just below.

Questions

What is the written premium for the term?

How much premium has been billed?

Why are the Premium Overview and Account History sections mostly blank?

Is this account on auto-pay?

To whom will bills be sent when the policy is issued, and how do you know?